HighVulnerability

CVE-2021-37647: TensorFlow null pointer dereference in SparseTensorSliceDataset

Source: NVD(opens in a new tab)
Identifier: CVE-2021-37647
Published: August 12, 2021
Record updated: October 9, 2026

Affected: tensorflow < 2.3.4, fixed in 2.3.4, released August 10, 2021, 2 days before disclosure
tensorflow >= 2.4.0, < 2.4.3, fixed in 2.4.3, released August 10, 2021, 2 days before disclosure
tensorflow = 2.5.0, fixed in 2.5.1, released August 10, 2021, 2 days before disclosure
and 6 more
Known exploitation: Not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog at the last check.
EPSS: 0.2%

Summary

TensorFlow's `tf.raw_ops.SparseTensorSliceDataset` implementation can dereference a null pointer when a user does not supply arguments that determine a valid sparse tensor. The argument validation does not handle the case where either `indices` or `values` is provided for an empty sparse tensor while the other is not, so an empty `indices` input causes a null pointer dereference during the monotonic-increase check.

Mitigation

Fixed in GitHub commit 02cc160e29d20631de3859c6653184e3f876b9d7. The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.6.0, and the commit will also be cherrypicked to TensorFlow 2.5.1, TensorFlow 2.4.3, and TensorFlow 2.3.4.

Details

Scores and exploitation

CVSS score: 7.7(high)
Patch available: Yes
EPSS: 0.2%Estimated probability that this CVE is exploited in the next 30 days, from the FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System. Read on November 4, 2026.

Weaknesses and techniques

Weakness (CWE): CWE-476

Affected

Packages: tensorflow@< 2.3.4 (fixed: 2.3.4)
tensorflow@>= 2.4.0, < 2.4.3 (fixed: 2.4.3)
tensorflow@= 2.5.0 (fixed: 2.5.1)
tensorflow-cpu@< 2.3.4 (fixed: 2.3.4)
tensorflow-cpu@>= 2.4.0, < 2.4.3 (fixed: 2.4.3)
tensorflow-cpu@= 2.5.0 (fixed: 2.5.1)
tensorflow-gpu@< 2.3.4 (fixed: 2.3.4)
tensorflow-gpu@>= 2.4.0, < 2.4.3 (fixed: 2.4.3)
tensorflow-gpu@= 2.5.0 (fixed: 2.5.1)
Vendors: Google

Classification

Attack type: Denial of service
Attack sophistication: Moderate
AI component targeted: Framework
Impact: Availability
Labels: security

How this record was produced

Summaries, mitigations and labels on this page are generated automatically from the source. The linked source is authoritative. The source gives this advisory a description and no title, so the title above is a headline generated from the source text.

Original source: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-37647

First tracked: February 15, 2026 at 08:39 PM ET, from NVD/CVE Database

Classifier: claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v4

Classifier confidence: 90% (self-assessed)

Affected packages in the Exposure Registry

Matched by package name and ecosystem. Each entry shows whether the package delegates to a language model and how many tracked packages depend on it.

tensorflowPyPINo LLM dependency detected · 26 tracked dependents
tensorflow-gpuPyPINo LLM dependency detected · 2 tracked dependents

Summary

Mitigation

Affected packages in the Exposure Registry

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